


She Has The Technology

by such_heights



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Episode: s0701 Asylum of the Daleks, Fix-It, Gen, Robots, episode coda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-04
Updated: 2012-09-04
Packaged: 2017-11-13 13:31:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/504037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/such_heights/pseuds/such_heights
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Right then. Bugger all this for a game of soldiers. Time to make a daring escape."</p>
            </blockquote>





	She Has The Technology

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for 7x01.

Oswin slumps back down in her chair, tapping the edge of her keyboard as she watches the Doctor run away from her as fast as he can. She can't really blame him. Her room is beginning to fade now as reality knocked. She takes a quick scan -- yes, the shield is down, and the Daleks are powering their weapons to take the place out, but oh, happy day, there's another energy signature, which she can only assume was the spaceship belonging to the Doctor and his pretty friends.

"Right then. Bugger all this for a game of soldiers. Time to make a daring escape."

Just because she's been in denial about the truth of her situation, that didn't mean she doesn't have a plan.

"Okay. Compress the data stream, set up firewall - well, sort of - and select target location."

The final triumphant strains of _Carmen_ ring loud in her ears as she presses Enter.

*

Oswin watches as the Doctor twirles around the TARDIS console, humming to himself. She concentrates, drawing her consciousness together from keeping an eye on many different screens and sensors to one focused point. She's often dreamed of living in a spaceship, but this wasn't quite what she'd imagined. She accesses the sound system.

"Doctor? Doctor! Ah, Chin Boy, there you are!"

The Doctor's head whips up to find the source of the voice.

"Hang on, I'm still calibrating the holographic projectors, any second now --"

She materialises herself into the console room, and beams as the Doctor gapes at her.

The Doctor opens his mouth to say something, closes it, then starts again. "Um. Hello?"

"Hi! Good, right? Uploaded myself to your ship just before the planet went boom - what's her name, the TARDIS? She's lovely, very accommodating. Hmm, well, never been a hologram before, this is interesting." She waves her hand right through one of the levers. "Don't think I can make a lot of soufflés this way, but that's all right. I've got a plan."

She bounces up a down a little. It's nice to have freedom of movement again, though it's odd to be able to move around without having any accompanying physical sensation. "I'm debating between going for a robot or a clone - I'm thinking robot, genetics were never my strong suit at school. Bet I could build myself an awesome android to live in, though."

The Doctor is still staring at her, and he starts to grin. "You really are a genius, aren't you."

"That's what they tell me! So, can you take me shopping for parts? I'd set the coordinates myself but your ship seems a bit funny about that - something about me being a stray following you home and why should she let me drive." She pouted. "I'm sure we'll get along swimmingly before too long."

"Yes, I rather imagine you will." The Doctor shakes his head, wide-eyed. "Oswin Oswald, you outwitted the Daleks. There aren't many who can say that."

She preens a little. She has done rather well, after all.

He twirlsed around the console again, flicking down levers and setting controls. "Right then, let's go to the Robotics Depo of New Plemora. Finest selection of tools and materials in three galaxies."

*

The work takes months, but Oswin doesn't mind. They set up a workshop for her to work in, and the TARDIS lets her integrate with a section of the ship's systems that aren't too overwhelming for Oswin. Turned out the inner workings of a Dalek were nothing compared to a TARDIS, and Oswin can only inhabit a part of it at a time before she feels entirely light-headed - at least, as light-headed as you can be when you didn't have, well, a head.

In the meantime, the Doctor is in and out, seeing his friends and having adventures. She meets a woman called River Song when she stops by for a while, offering very helpful suggestions on how to increase sensitivity in the pressure pads Oswin is using to build herself hands.

"You are very good," River tells her, admiring schematics on a viewscreen. "And the TARDIS must really like you, I doubt there are many people she'd let take up residence in her matrices for this long."

Oswin smiles, and looked around the room lovingly. "She's the most wonderful ship I've ever seen."

"Yes she is," River agrees, nodding. Oswin has a feeling she's just passed a test. 

To her great delight, Amy and Rory come to visit her too.

"Nina! I knew you couldn't resist me." She appears right in front of them as they walk into the room, making Rory jump.

"Wait, what?" Amy asks. "Who's Nina?"

"That'd be me," says Rory, smiling at Oswin. "It's a long story, you kinda had to be there."

Amy rolls her eyes, but she seems amused. "So! Soufflé girl! The Doctor says you're making yourself a robot."

"Yes I am - living in a time machine is lovely, but it's not much fun if you can't ever go out."

Amy nods. "Seems fair. You know, we actually know a thing or two about robots, is there anything you need help with?"

"Now you mention it, a couple of pairs of hands would be fab - do you think you could help me attach my feet?"

"Huh," says Rory. "They never covered that at nursing school."

"Ah," Oswin says, appreciative. "Yes, should have guessed you were a nurse - look at those lovely hands."

Rory turns an adorable shade of pink and doesn't meet anyone's eye.

"Oh, you too, Amy," Oswin says. "In fact, I hereby give you both permission to assemble me for as long as you like."

"Now there's an invitation," Amy says, winking at Oswin.

"Um," says Rory, turning from pink to red.

"Bless," Amy says to Oswin, and they grin.

*

Nearly eighteen months after she crash-landed on the Dalek asylum planet, Oswin takes a deep, imaginary breath and downloads herself into her new mechanical body. Cautiously, she flexes one hand, then the other. She bends down to touch the floor and then stretches as high as she can -- which is higher than she used to, because there didn't seem to be a lot of point in building a robot body for yourself if you didn't include extendable legs, useful for running and also reaching the top shelf in shops.

She claps her hands together in excitement. "I did it! I did it! Take that, Daleks!"

She runs to find the Doctor. Oh, running feels good - the sensations are completely different than they used to be, but she has a sense of pressure, speed, time, the air in the corridors moving her hair. It feels brilliant.

"Chin boy! I did it! I'm a real girl!" She skips down the steps in the console room to find him in his swing, tinkering with wiring. 

He drops his tools and whips off his goggles. "Oswin!" He jumps up and hugs her, lifting her off her feet and swinging her in circles under the glass floor. "You are _spectacular_ ," he tells her.

"Yes I am," she agrees. She can't stop smiling. 

"So, I should make good on that promise to show you the stars, eh?"

"Yes, yes you should. But first, can we go see my mum? I have a very belated birthday soufflé to make for her."


End file.
